Open Access
J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj 2013; 08(01): e36-e42
DOI: 10.1186/1749-7221-8-7
Case report
Price et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Reoperation for failed shoulder reconstruction following brachial plexus birth injury[*]

Andrew E Price
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, USA
2   Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Programs, Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
,
Marc Fajardo
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, USA
,
John AI Grossman
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, USA
2   Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Programs, Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
› Author Affiliations

Subject Editor:
Further Information

Publication History

24 January 2013

11 July 2013

Publication Date:
25 September 2014 (online)

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Abstract

Background Various approaches have been developed to treat the progressive shoulder deformity in patients with brachial plexus birth palsy. Reconstructive surgery for this condition consists of complex procedures with a risk for failure.

Case presentations This is a retrospective case review of the outcome in eight cases referred to us for reoperation for failed shoulder reconstructions. In each case, we describe the initial attempt(s) at surgical correction, the underlying causes of failure, and the procedures performed to rectify the problem. Results were assessed using pre- and post-operative Mallet shoulder scores. All eight patients realized improvement in shoulder function from reoperation.

Conclusions This case review identifies several aspects of reconstructive shoulder surgery for brachial plexus birth injury that may cause failure of the index procedure(s) and outlines critical steps in the evaluation and execution of shoulder reconstruction.

*This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.